bullet shape
- Thread starter youngun
- Start date
Youngun!
I seem to be following you around the board
. I just happen to have the Sept. 2002 issue of Shooting Times Magazine which talks about "shooting roundnose, spitzer, and boattail hunting bullets for drop". The author used a 30.06 (because of it's popularity) in an acutal test. He used a rifle with a 26 inch barrel and zeroed each load at 100 yards. He then shot at 300 yards to compare drop. He matched velocities between bullets to be nearly the same in each weight class.
From personal experience, boattails have less contact surface area in the barrel. They may shoot better or worse in any paticular rifle. I have one rifle that loves them, and another that doesn't. Out to 300 yards, it doesn't seem to make too much difference. They do get more money for them though.
Speer 150 gr. roundnose 11.0" drop
Hornady 150 gr SPT 11.0" drop
Hornady 150 gr SPT-BT 9.0" drop
Hornady 180 gr roundnose 15.0" drop
Nosler 180 gr SPT Partition 11.0" drop
Speer 180 gr SPT-BT 12.5" drop
Hornady 220 gr roundnose 21.0" drop
Sierra 220 gr HP-BT MatchKing 20.0" drop
I seem to be following you around the board
. I just happen to have the Sept. 2002 issue of Shooting Times Magazine which talks about "shooting roundnose, spitzer, and boattail hunting bullets for drop". The author used a 30.06 (because of it's popularity) in an acutal test. He used a rifle with a 26 inch barrel and zeroed each load at 100 yards. He then shot at 300 yards to compare drop. He matched velocities between bullets to be nearly the same in each weight class.From personal experience, boattails have less contact surface area in the barrel. They may shoot better or worse in any paticular rifle. I have one rifle that loves them, and another that doesn't. Out to 300 yards, it doesn't seem to make too much difference. They do get more money for them though.
Speer 150 gr. roundnose 11.0" drop
Hornady 150 gr SPT 11.0" drop
Hornady 150 gr SPT-BT 9.0" drop
Hornady 180 gr roundnose 15.0" drop
Nosler 180 gr SPT Partition 11.0" drop
Speer 180 gr SPT-BT 12.5" drop
Hornady 220 gr roundnose 21.0" drop
Sierra 220 gr HP-BT MatchKing 20.0" drop
boat tail bullets tend to lose their cores easier upon impact at close range (fragmentation). flat base bullets also tend to be easier to get accuracy from at close range (200 yards and closer).
when getting a rifle ready for a hunt, that is something that must be considered. because the terrain i hunt is conducive to long range shooting, i prefer boat tails. when i set a rifle up that i expect closer shots (woods), i usually go w/ a flat base.
when getting a rifle ready for a hunt, that is something that must be considered. because the terrain i hunt is conducive to long range shooting, i prefer boat tails. when i set a rifle up that i expect closer shots (woods), i usually go w/ a flat base.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
Sure, the boat-tail will shoot a bit flatter. I've used them a lot for that very reason. However, if I didn't hunt in country where extreme-range shots were reasonably likely, I wouldn't bother.
What I think is more important is to get "all married up" to a pet rifle and a pet load and learn the performance out to whatever you think your longest shot is likely to be. Since few shots are beyond 300, worrying about a boat-tail is like picking fly-specks out of pepper. Find the cheapest flat-base that is most accurate, and shoot it a lot.
, Art
What I think is more important is to get "all married up" to a pet rifle and a pet load and learn the performance out to whatever you think your longest shot is likely to be. Since few shots are beyond 300, worrying about a boat-tail is like picking fly-specks out of pepper. Find the cheapest flat-base that is most accurate, and shoot it a lot.
, Art